The gender equality theme is out of place in Original Star Trek

An email I sent to the production team of the new fan made Star Trek continuation series. If any of you want to send them some feedback too, their email is: [email protected]

Dear Production Team of new Star Trek TOS continuation series,

I've been waiting years for someone to continue the Star Trek original series and do something like this. So I'd like to thank you big time for this. I plan to make a donation soon. But I'd also like to send some feedback and comments to the production team. I've also helped promote your new show on my website and on IMDB in the message boards area of Star Trek TOS and Star Trek TNG. Here are my comments on your show:

First, a suggestion. Why not take script ideas from amateur script writers? There are many brilliant script writers out there. You can ask them to send their scripts, and if it's good, ask the writer to pay a fee for you to product the episode. That way, the writer will have a demo reel to use in his resume and portfolio of works.

Anyway, although these are well made, there is an obvious issue I see already in the second episode. You are already preaching gender equality and feminism and how women should not be discriminated against for their gender. The thing is, that was NEVER preached in the original Star Trek. That was not even preached at all in 1960's TV shows. Even in the 1980's, TV did not preach gender equality. It was a product of the 1990's. So it's disconcerting to see it in this Star Trek remake of the original 1960's series. Way out of line too.

The original Star Trek did preach human rights and racial equality on certain episodes, but NEVER gender equality. Kirk and Spock never supported that, yet here in this remake they do, they act like liberals from the 1990's. That's way out of character for them. I plan to write the filmmakers about this. I guess they are trying to appeal to a more modern audience. Star Trek should be about deeper philosophical issues. Not about human rights or gender equality. We have enough of that preaching from the US media. Why put it in Star Trek too?

Also, the guy playing Captain Kirk is too nice and kind to women. Kirk wasn't like that. He whipped them into shape and didn't take *beep* and had a more commanding and dominating presence.

Did you guys know that in the 1960's, TV shows were AGAINST gender equality? Here is an example:

In 1965, there was a TV show called "Gidget" with Sally Field. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058806/) In episode 6 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0588004/?ref_=ttep_ep6), Sally Field's character Gidget, a school girl, tried to prove herself equal with boys by signing up for auto shop class at school, a trade which was and still is strictly for males. When she messes up badly and funnily in the class while trying to change oil on a car, she embarrasses herself and quits. At the end of the episode, she admitted to her parents and brother that they were right and agreed that she should stick with being a girl and not try to be equal with boys.

So that TV show discouraged feminism and gender equality, and taught that girls should be girls and boys should be boys, as a moral lesson. In the 1960's, America still knew the difference between men and women, and was wiser and more real than the America of today, which is pretty much all about *beep* and political correctness, not truth. Back then, America still had decent family values, but that all started sliding downhill in the 1970's.

If you think the 90's were more progressive and today's liberalism is better, just take a look at the stats of the 1960's compared to today. Back then divorce rates were much lower. The nuclear family was more stable. Families were closer and had more values. Neighbors talked to each other. Friends were easier to make. People were more down to earth, authentic and real. They looked more wholesome, innocent and good natured too, which you can see on any 1960's TV show. In contrast, today there is moral decay in America, a breakdown of family values, a high divorce rate, and people on TV now look soulless, cold and unfeeling, not wholesome or innocent.

So if I had to pick whether people had better values back then or now, I'd definitely choose back then.

Here is a funny clip from that episode where Sally Field's character messes up when trying to change oil on a car to prove herself equal with boys. She looks adorable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwJDnOORbn8

You should send my above points to the guy playing Mr. Spock. lol

Anyway, hope you consider the above. I will be making a donation soon. And I will promote your show online on major forums. Thanks for doing a good job.

Sincerely,
Winston

I think you need to go back to the 60's and leave the future for the rest of us evoloving humans. I'm also pretty sure with how liberal Gene Roddenberry was that if he were still around that he would be pushing for gender equality as well.

I do have to agree with you about gender equality being out place and it was indeed a minor but glaring distraction in an otherwise brilliant recreation of the original series.

I can see why the writers of this new series thought it would be fun to play "what if"--but I think they should have waited to do so later in the series, perhaps in an episode #8? And it would have been all the more interesting if they had introduced it slowly, perhaps through the efforts of female crewmembers of the Enterprise crew starting to demand equality in ways in harmony with their characters' personalities. That would also provide opportunity for some great discussions between Kirk, Bones, and Scotty about how "times they are a changin'"--imagine Scotty saying that in his brogue!--and perhaps Spock could chide them about it about their "lack of regard for ship efficiency" in fully utilizing the talents and strengths of female crew.

STC is pretty faithful to the original series but it is true that TOS was influenced by the sexist culture of the 60s.
Should sexism be included in a recent extension of TOS? To me no.
- The idea of inclusion and equality is one of the core concepts of TOS with its multi racial / national crew.
- Also, in the first pilot for TOS, "The Cage", gender equality was more pronounced with the first officer being a woman and women's informs being more unisex.
- Just because the studio insisted that the female first officer be removed and that TOS become more sexist with costuming does not make this the original concept for TOS.

* So, STC addresses gender issues in a way that TOS was originally conceived.
The "Embracing The Winds" episode deals with that directly.

In TOS there had not been any woman captains commanding a starship in that series.
This idea comes from the last TOS episode; "Turnabout Intruder" and "Embracing The Winds" explains the problem in a non sexist way and resolves the issue.

Any recent Star Trek fan production needs to be consistent with the core concepts of the Star Trek franchise.
And finding those core concepts requires looking at the vision of the future which each series tried to dramatize before studio interference.
For TOS, the pilot "The Cage" shows the core concept of gender equality.

Imo at least, BB ;-)

it is just in my opinion - imo - 🌈